This is an interesting one. I remember back in the day when Bob Marley's music wasn't seen as cool or credible amongst many black people here because of his 'international' success. Songs like "3 Little Birds" and "One Love" were ridiculed. 2 notable exceptions were "Waiting In Vain" and later "One Drop" from the Survival LP. These records were often played at black parties and dances. Of course after Bob died attitudes changed and many of those same people now respect Bob as a hero and find comfort in the same songs they once ridiculed. Where the older generation frowned at Bob's appearance, they are now the first ones to get up and dance to "Three Little Birds"!

For me though "Natty Dread" is the best BMW LP. This is where Bob comes into his own with some deep and thought provoking songs as well romantic and uplifting songs. I just wish that Bob didn't have to put other people down as the writer of his songs because of that unfortunate business with Danny Simms.

I bought this LP many years ago from a little record shop in Cambwerell Green in London which was run by a very cool dude. I was drawn to the cover and he said to me I should buy it so I did. I took it home and played it, and played it, and played it. Pure gold.

After that, there are loads of favourites, though I must say these days I am much more into singles than albums. Ignoring compilations, apart from the first couple of titles listed below, this lot springs immediately to mind -

"A Dream by Max Romeo" (1969) was one of the few LPs my parents had and as children it was our favourite because of the saucy cover and even saucier tracks like "The Horn" and of course "Wet Dream". Several of the songs have a heavy folk or mento influence like "Wine Her Goosie" or an American influence like the ultra cool "The Raid" which may well have formed the basis for the later "Three Blind Mice".

Even if this LP is a little too ancient for you, it does help to show the dramatic transformation that Max Romeo went through from a clean cut country boy to a leading Rastafarian figure head and performer.

This is a great LP from Ranking Toyan with DJ cuts to Michael Prophet's "Gunman", Hugh Mundell's "Jacqueline", Wailing Souls' "Bandits", etc. I bought my copy from WH Smith of all places with some vouchers I'd won at school!